1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hair appliances, combs, dressing combs, hair dressing methods and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved hair braiding tool apparatus that enables the user to create the illusion of a french braid when installed in the user's hair.
2. General Background
The french braid is a very difficult hair style to achieve. Further, only very few individuals are able to create a French braid in their own hair. It is typically easier to French braid another person's hair as the user can visually gauge each step in the process.
Various patents have issued for hair combs, dressing combs, hair dressing devices, and the like. Some of these patent disclose combs with teeth on opposite sides. Some hair combs curve to follow the shape of the users head.
An early patent is the Potter U.S. Pat. No. 1,025,156 entitled "DRESSING COMB". The Potter device provides a comb that employs a handle and a body having teeth projecting from both sides thereof in the same plane and having points in alignment. The handle is straight but has a body of involute form with the minor curve at the end opposite the handle, the body being gradually thickened from the handle outward to reinforce the outer end of the body and stiffen it against any tendency of yielding to freely in use.
The Baldwin U.S. Pat. No. 1,724,249 entitled "MARCEL HAIR WAVER" provides and apparatus consisting of an elongated body member having soft resilient material and having finger extending for opposite sides thereof, the fingers on each side being spaced from one another and the body member extending beyond the fingers. The apparatus is reduced in size adjacent its ends to facilitate the attachment of a retaining device such as a rubber band.
The Rosch U.S. Pat. No. 2,781,045 entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WAVING HAIR" discloses an apparatus for treating human hair for obtaining permanent waves and curls. The apparatus comprises a cylindrical-rod like body member provided with two diametrically opposite rows of teeth or spines disposed in comb like fashion. The hair is placed between and wound around the body. The free end of the hair is held by a clamping bar member of arcuate cross section. One end of the bar is pivotally attached to the corresponding end of the body while, the other end is initially held against the body by pressure exerted between the index finger and the thumb. This clamps the free end of a lock of hair after the first turn of the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,871,865 issued to E. D. Anderson is entitled "HAIR CURLING DEVICE AND METHOD". The Anderson patent discloses a device for preparing and setting curls of the hair which is dry or wet with water or waving solution, for which is otherwise being set permanently or semi-permanently so that the use of bobby pins or other means of fastening the hair is not required. The apparatus includes a web like, elongated device for curling and setting hair in the presence of fluid. The apparatus includes a spiral forming means and a reticulate member. The spiral forming means causes the device to assume a natural closed spiral form when it rests and to return resiliently to the closed spiral form when the device has been forcibly opened to assume an unnatural extended form and then has been released. The spiral forming means is substantially co-extensive with the device and with the reticulate member permitting passage of fluid to and from the hair. A similar device and method for curling and setting the hair is seen in the Anderson U.S. Pat. No. 2,889,834.
The Redrow U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,692 discloses a hair dressing method and device. The apparatus produces a simulated braid pattern in long hair by separating a given mass of hair into individual strands for delivery into and through a plurality of individual generally tubular flexible guide means that have previously been disposed in an intertwined relationship. The guide means are then adapted to be individually removed end wise over the free ends of the strands which have been drawn into the respective guide means to leave each strand of hair in the intertwined relationship of the formerly intertwined (not removed) guide means.